UNIVERSAL ROLEPLAYING SYSTEM

L AY I NG
ROLEP
UNIVERSAL ROLEPLAYING SYSTEM

UNBELIEVABLY
SIMPLE
R O L EP L AY I NG
Designed by Scott Malthouse

Art by Dean Spencer, Jeshields and public domain

Published by Trollish Delver Games under a creative

commons 4.0 license https://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by/4.0/.
 INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the latest version questions. Being the GM is a
of Unbelievably Simple lot of fun, but it’s recommended
Roleplaying (USR), a game that anyone already
system for any genre you can experiences with roleplaying
imagine. games takes on this role in the
first instance.
USR is designed to be a fast
and easy way to play - putting
aside complicated mechanics PLAYER CHARACTERS
in exchange for streamlined
rules that are fun to play. Other players will each have a
player character (PC) who will
Whether you want to become become their avatar in
samurai in Japan, space whatever game world they’re
warriors fighting aliens, fantasy playing in. Players step into
adventurers in a realm of their PC’s shoes and act out
dragons, or revolver-toting their fictional actions at the
cowboys in the Old West, you table. PC’s have a set of
can run it with USR. attributes, specialisms, and
hallmarks to make them
unique. It’s recommended
WHAT YOU NEED TO PLAY there are a variety of PC’s in
the game.
Aside from these rules, each
player will need a set of
gaming dice: d6, d8, d10. Also CORE MECHANIC
grab some paper and pencils if
you’re playing in person, or use The core mechanic is the main
a virtual tabletop (VTT) if task resolution you will use to
online. You can even play with decide if a PC passes or fails
miniatures or tokens but these an action. They simply roll their
aren’t necessary. attribute die and any
equipment and/or skill they
have and look at the highest
The gamemaster roll. The GM rolls a difficulty
die and the rolls are compared.
One player takes on the role of If the PC roll is equal or higher,
GM - the one who creates they succeed. Otherwise they
thrilling adventures, plays non- fail.
player characters (NPCs) and
has the final decision on rules
Character creation
When creating a new
character, the GM decides
SPECIALISMS
what sort of world everyone is The player will now choose
playing in. This will help three trained specialisms.
determine the kind of character Each specialism is linked to an
relevant to the setting. ability. A specialism is either
trained (d6), novice (d8) or
ABILITY DICE mastered (d10). Players can
create their own specialisms on
Every PC has three abilities: choose from the list overleaf.
When using a specialism, roll
• Action: the measure of an ability and a relevant linked
physical prowess. specialism die.
• Wits: the measure of
mental ability. When you improve a
• Ego: the measure of specialism, increase the die
charisma and type one step (i.e. d6 to d8).
attractiveness.
HALLMARK
Assign one of each type of die A hallmark is a unique power
to an ability: d6, d8, and d10. the PC has. They begin with
The higher the ability die the just one hallmark, but they
more proficient the PC is at have the option to acquire
that ability. more later.

ABILITY HITS • Craftmaster: Improve a

piece of equipment.
Each ability has a number • Determined: Increase any
associated with it called ability of your ability hits by 2.
hits. These will fluctuate over
time as ability damage is taken • Driven: your drive die
in competitions. The hits of becomes d10.
each ability are equal to the • Honed specialism:
maximum die roll. For example, Improve a specialism.
a d10 in action will have 10
action hits. • Skill monkey: gain a
trained specialism (up to 3).
KEY EQUIPMENT
It’s assumed that PC’s have
access to relevant items to do
their role. However, each
player should choose a key
piece of fine equipment tied to
an ability. For example, a map
d6 (wits). Key equipment is
either fine (d6), superior (d8),
or unique (d10). A PC may
carry up to five key pieces of
equipment.

When you improve a piece of

key equipment, increase the
die type one step (i.e. d6 to d8)

DRIVE
A PC’s drive is the thing that
propels them forward in the
story. Why does the wizard
delve into tombs? Why does
the baker make cakes? Players
choose a drive for their
characters to help them
roleplay. If a player takes an
action that follows their drive
but puts them in a bad
situation, they get a d8 drive
die as part of their task roll.

DESCRIPTION
Based on all the previous
steps, players should write
down a succinct description of
what their character looks like
and three personality traits.
 Specialisms lists
ANY GENRE • Riding (action)

• Acrobatics (action) • Tracking (wits)

• Athletics (action) CYBERPUNK

• Diplomacy (ego) • Biking (action)
• Entertaining (ego) • Club etiquette (ego)
• Healing (wits) • Electronics (wits)
• Intimidation (ego) • Hacking (biology) (wits)
• Leadership (ego) • Hacking (computers) (wits)
• Melee fighting (action) • Programming (wits)
• Natural world (wits) • Street knowledge (wits)
• Perception (wits)
SPACE OPERA
• Ranged fighting (action)
• Alien languages (wits)
• Religion (wits)
• Medical (wits)
• Stealth (action)
• Piloting (ships) (action)
MEDIEVAL FANTASY • Piloting (skimmers) (action)
• Courtly knowledge (wits) • Robotics (wits)
• Dungeoneering (wits) • Science (wits)
• Heraldry (wits) • Starmaps (wits)
• Magical texts (wits) • Tech (wits)
• Nobility (wits)
WESTERN ROMANCE
• Carousing (action) • Caress (action)

• Concealing (action) • Dancing (action)

• Drinking (ego) • Flirting (ego)

• Gambling (ego/wits) • Poetry (ego)

• Horse riding (action)

modern
• Quick draw (action)
• Accounting (wits)

STEAMPUNK • Barter (ego)

• Courtesy (ego) • Bartending (wits)

• Engineering (wits) • City knowledge (wits)

• Piloting (airships) (action) • Computers (wits)

• Sailing (action) • Daredevil (action)

• Skullduggery (ego) • Fashion (ego)

• Investigating (wits)
SAMURAI
• Journalism (wits)
• Awareness (wits)
• Libraries (wits)
• Calligraphy (action/ego)
• Marketing (ego)
• Ceremony (wits)
• Social media (ego)
• Commerce (wits)
• Surfing (action)
• Honour (ego)
• Wetworks (action)
• Meditation (ego)

• Spirit (ego)
 PLAYING THE GAME
SCENES If the PC’s highest die is equal
to or more than the GM’s, they
A game of USR is split into are successful. If it’s lower, the
scenes, just like the scenes in PC fails the task.
a film. These are self-contained
narratives that the GM Ayebo is attempting to scale a
introduces by describing where high wall. His task pool
the PC’s are and what’s around consists of d8 (action ability),
them. Players then have the d6 (climbing specialism), and
opportunity to ask questions d6 (rope key equipment). He
and take actions. Sometimes rolls all his dice and his highest
those actions have an is a 6.
uncertain outcome. For these,
a task roll is used. The GM determines the wall is
regular difficulty (d8), but also
it’s rain slicked so adds a d6
Task roll circumstance die. They roll
both and the highest is 4.
To determine whether an action Ayebo is successful and scales
is successful or unsuccessful, the wall.
the player makes a task roll
using a specific ability relevant
to that task. They proceed to Contested Task roll
create a task pool from their
ability die, a relevant Sometimes a task roll will be
specialism die, a relevant key made against an NPC, where
equipment die, and a drive die the NPC is actively attempting
if needed. This pool is rolled to beat or overcome the PC.
and the highest die is used. This is a contested task roll.
For instance, if a PC is trying to
The GM rolls a difficulty die: sneak past a security guard
easy (d6), regular (d8), or this would be a contested task
tough (d10). They may also roll.
add a d6 circumstance die if
there is an added level of The GM will declare the ability
difficulty caused by the for the roll depending on
situation. The GM takes the everyone’s actions. In the
highest die roll. above example, the sneaking
PC would use action and any
specialisms and equipment to the competition. For
that could help them with example, if it’s an action
stealth. The GM chooses a competition, they have action
difficulty die for the NPC and hits. NPC hits are determined
creates a difficulty pool in the by their difficulty die: easy 3,
same way. regular 6, tough 9.

Both contestants roll their pools The GM decides what ability

and follow the same success will be used for this
rules of task rolls. competition. All participating
PC’s must use this ability die.
AIDING ANOTHER PC’s act first in whatever order
they like. On their turn they
An ally may choose to aid a PC choose an NPC to roll against
with a task roll. If they do, they and build their task pool and
must have a specialism the GM builds their difficulty
relevant to the task. The PC pool.
taking the task gets an
additional d6 aid die to their Both roll. Whoever has the
task pool. If the specialism is lower roll deducts the
mastered they upgrade this to difference in rolls from the
a d8 aid die. ability hits relevant to the task.
So for an action task they
COMPETITION would deduce these from their
action hits.
Competitions are extended
contested task rolls. This could On the NPC’s turn, they roll
be a duel, a bake-off, a bike against one of the PC’s in the
chase or any other kind of task same way as above.
that pits two or more people
against each other in a Jiro and Seeta are ninjas
scenario that requires more fighting two enemy
than a single roll. mercenaries. The GM states
this will be an action
Competitions take place in competition.
turns and rounds, with every
participant getting one turn per One mercenary is easy d6 (3
round. After everyone has hits), while the other is regular
taken a turn a new round d8 (6 hits). They both have fine
begins. katanas (d6) and the better
merc has a parrying specialism
NPCs each have a difficulty die (d6).
and a number of hits relevant
Jiro creates his task pool from may have lost morale and be
action (d10), katana (d6), and unable to continue.
martial arts (d6). He has 10
action hits. After a competition is over all
PC ability hits are replenished
Jiro rolls 4, 6, 3 vs the regular unless the GM decides that the
merc. The regular merc rolls 1, fiction calls for them to
3, 5. The GM deducts 1 from replenish slower (for instance,
the merc’s hits - from 6 to 5. recovering from an injury).
Even then it shouldn’t take
Seeta attacks the same one. more than a few scenes to
Her pool is action d8, katana recover.
d6, and reflexes d6. She has 8
action hits. She rolls 8, 2, 2. Nita is on a foot race through
The regular merc rolls 4, 1, 3. downtown Manhatten, trying to
He takes 4 hits, reducing him escape from two men in black
to just 1 hit. suits. Nita has 2 action hits left
and she then takes 2. Now
The regular merc then attacks she’s on 0 she is caught by
Seeta, getting a 7 highest one of the men. Her action hits
versus her 4 highest. Seeta return, but she is now
takes 3 hits, going from 8 to 5. captured.

The easy merc attacks Seeta,

seeing an opening, getting a 4 resources
high against Seeta’s 4. It’s a
draw so no hits are taken. If the GM is playing a game
where players can purchase
items, use the resources
Zero Ability Hits system. All players begin with 1
resource and they may
When an NPC reaches 0 ability accumulate more. A resource
hits they are out of the can be spent on an item, plane
competition. If all NPCs are ticket, inn room. Generally
removed from the competition, items of lower value can just be
the PC’s are victorious. obtained without the need to
spend a resource.
When a PC reaches 0 ability
hits, they are also out of the
competition. If these were
STORY POINTS
action hits, they may be badly
injured or possibly even dead. At the start of each session
If they were wits hits they may every player gets 2 story
be confused and unable to points. These can be spent in
think. If they were ego hits they that session to alter the in-
game fiction, but not the
mechanics. The GM can
compromise based on what a
player asks for. For instance,
the PC’s are making their
escape from dreadcorp, but the
security droids are hot on their
tail. One player could spend a
story point to suggest that the
roads are jam packed - great
for losing the droids on their
bikes!

If instead the player wanted the

droids to blow up then the GM
may need to negotiate, since
that may have a large impact
on the game.

magic
Magic is often used in fantasy
games. USR has no specific
rules for magic, but the GM
should allow magic-users to
take specialisms that act as
spells, such as frost magic,
divination magic, and
summoning magic.

ADVANCEMENT
Unspent story points can be
converted into advancement
points at the end of a session.
Once a player has
accumulated three
advancement points they can
be traded in for a new
hallmark. Most can be taken
multiple times over a
campaign, aside from Driven.
This represents the character
improving as the game
continues.
 UNIVERSAL ROLEPLAYING SYSTEM

UNBELIEVABLY ACTION HITS

SIMPLE
ROLEPLA
YING
WITS HITS

Name

cAMPAIGN
EGO HITS

Desc.

Drive die STORY POINTs RESOURCES

Hallmarks

Advancement
points

Key Equipment specialisms

 Settings
This section describes some pre-made settings for your game.

FULL MOON
DEFENCE SQUAD Tequendria
Rain City, a dark metropolis Tequendria is a world of weird
where every night is someone’s fantasy where a city can have
last. Strangers with ivory fangs a soul, decapitated gods are
stalk unwary wanderers in the worshipped, and the land of
shadows. Werewolves light up dreams and reality converge.
the dance floor with gore. PC’s are warriors, sorcerers,
Phantoms are conjured to jewel thieves, perfume
wreak vengeance on the living. merchants, and low priests,
exploring the world in search of
Players take on the roles of the secrets of dreams.
members of a special task
force: the Full Moon Defence
Squad, set up to combat the specialisms
growing metanatural threat.
Dreaming (ego), Conjuring
(wits), Swordplay (action),
specialisms Divination (wits), Pick-
pocketing (action), Dragon
Sleuthing (wits), Occult (wits), riding (action), Perfumed (ego),
Spirit Talk (ego), Hex Rifles Blessing (ego).
(action), Interrogation (ego),
Telepathy (wits).
KEY EQUIPMENT
KEY EQUIPMENT Longsword, crossbow, realm
map, dreamstone, disguise kit,
Hex rifle, garlic, stake, silver aristocratic finery, jewellery,
sword, scanner, ouija board, horse.
badge, night vision goggles.
 Bushido Jurassic
west
Japanese mythology, samurai It’s six-shooters and
and cyberpunk collide in stegosauruses in the dinosaur-
Bushido Metropolis. The spirits infused western: Jurassic
of the ancient world clash with West. Set in an alternate 1890s
the high-tech future as players American frontier, players
take on the roles of cyber become dino wranglers,
samurai, assassins, calligari sharpshooters, priests and
(hackers), and wardens, taking entertainers in a world where
on jobs against the corrupt dinosaurs never went extinct.
corporations that control Mega- Raptor-riding bandits stalk the
Kyoto. This is a setting of dusty landscape while nomadic
street-racing, katana-wielding, native folk travel via
cyber-augmented heroes on a brachiosaurs.
mission to topple the powers
than be and restore the spirits
to the world. specialisms
Quick draw (action), Pistols
specialisms (action), Dino rider (action),
Medicine (wits), Piano playing
Wired legs (action), Heat eyes (ego), Cultures (wits), Tracking
(wits), Calligari (wits), Corpo- (wits), Drinking (wits).
speak (ego), Navigation (wits),
katanas (action), automatic
weapons (action). KEY EQUIPMENT
Revolver, Marshall badge,
KEY EQUIPMENT dynamite, bow, knife, cane, fine
clothing.
Katana, shield arm, laser eye
mod, virtual shrine, drone, vib-
steel armour, greyflare rifle,
hacker jack.
 UNIVERSAL ROLEPLAYING SYSTEM

UNBELIEVABLY
SIMPLE
USR is designed to be a fast and easy way
to play - putting aside complicated
mechanics in exchange for streamlined
rules that are fun to play.

Whether you want to become samurai in

Japan, space warriors fighting aliens,
fantasy adventurers in a realm of dragons,
or revolver-toting cowboys in the Old West,
you can run it with USR.